News

Coaching trio play down Deans hype

Wednesday 23rd July 2008

The three stooges: Smith, Henry and Hansen

New Zealand coach Graham Henry is refusing to get involved in the hype surrounding his first Test match-up against fellow countryman and opposing coach Robbie Deans, but concedes the former Crusaders mentor has the advantage when it comes to coaching under ELVs.

Saturday's opening Bledisloe Cup match has been an eagerly-awaited clash since Henry held on to the national job despite the fallout from the 2007 World Cup and Deans, who was overlooked for the position, then announced he would be taking over as Head Coach of the Wallabies at the conclusion of the Super 14.

The game in Sydney will pit New Zealand's two most successful coaches in the professional era against each other and this battle of the coaches is the biggest talking point this week, overshadowing almost every other aspect of the clash.

Henry and his assistant coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith are, however, playing a very straight bat when it comes to the Deans factor, saying they understand the media and public interest but they have a job to do which does not involve any personal agendas.

"From our point of view it's no different than preparing for any Test match of this magnitude," Henry told Sportal.

"If you start drifting away from things that don't matter in the game and that you can't control, you're not doing your job correctly.

"We're just concentrating on making sure that our preparation is correct so we can play the best we can at the weekend."

"What could be bigger than winning an All Blacks Test as an All Black coach? There's nothing bigger for us," added Smith.

Henry did admit that Deans had the upper hand where the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) were concerned after leading the Crusaders to yet another Super 14 title in his final season in charge against the Waratahs in Christchurch.

Henry, Hansen and Smith were not involved in the Super 14 and their first real experience of the ELVs came in the opening Tri-Nations match against South Africa at the start of July, and Henry acknowledged they were still trying to get up to speed tactically.

But the All Blacks coaching team felt Deans' detailed knowledge of the Crusaders players in their ranks - McCaw, Dan Carter, Andy Ellis, Ali Williams, Brad Thorn and Greg Somerville - would not overly help the Australian cause.

"With analysis the way it is today everyone's got a pretty good idea of where everyone's going to go," said Hansen.

"It's a matter of making sure you go there better than other people will do."

Hansen is nonetheless wary of the Wallabies, who opened their Tri-Nations campaign with a 16-9 win over world champion South Africa in Perth last weekend.

"Everyone wrote Australia off last week against the South Africans and thought they (South Africa) would clobber them (Australia)," said Hansen.

"They showed that they are a true top international side and I think they won that Test pretty easy.

"We've got to turn up with a great attitude and a huge amount of intensity and purpose and commitment and do what we have to do really well otherwise we will come second."